The Devon Kershaw Show by FasterSkier (FasterSkier)

They've reached the summit — the athletes, have, anyway. Devon certainly has not, thanks to frozen pipes in his Oslo apartment. He and Nat persevere to bring you the recap of this year's final Tour de Ski stages, which featured some spicy and sloppy racing in Italy. Stay tuned til the end for an ode to Le Gruyère cheese.

Next week, during the break from the World Cup, we'll have a mailbag episode. Send us your questions at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. Have a great week.

We're back with a recap of Russian Alexander Bolshunov's dominating victory in the Olympic 30-kilometer skiathlon. We break down the dramatic start to the race, the Russians' epic performance, Iivo Niskanen's heroic effort to hang on to a bronze and the huge time gaps we saw to even some of the sport's biggest names. And we talk about doubts about Bolshunov's success.

We'll be back periodically during the Olympics — send questions and comments to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

And read a Russian news story about a politician calling for the revocation of Nat's press credential here:
https://www.sport-express.ru/olympics/beijing2022/skiing/news/v-gosdume-nazvali-oskorbi[…]os-amerikanskogo-zhurnalista-bolshunovu-o-dopinge-1888108/

Crashes, breakout performances, a Klaebo fill-in called in mid-workout, an American victory and climate activists disrupting a race — the three-day Lillehammer weekend had it all. Olivia Orr and Hannah DeAngelis, two superfans in Maine, join us for the recap, with Devon bringing us firsthand intel from the Canadian wax cabins.

We're at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com if you've got questions or feedback. See you next week.

Get your cheese doodles ready.

Here's Nat and Devon breaking down (and celebrating) an historic day for the U.S. A bronze medal for Jessie Diggins stands as the highlight - she's the first American woman to win an individual medal - but there were several other steps taken forward by the men and women wearing stars and stripes.

In particular, Rosie Brennan popped the second fast time in qualification. Overcoming a bad pole plant-induced fall in her quarterfinal, she powered through to take second (to the eventual winner), building momentum each round to finish 4th, just meters behind Diggins .

And you've got all four American men - also a record - in the Top-30, and Ben Ogden skiing into the semis to finish one second behind Pellegrino and Klæbo, landing in 12th as the top American men's sprint finish in history.

So much more. We're here for it, and we're glad you are too. Thanks for listening.

 

The legend is set in stone: Kikkan Randall brought a new intensity and bottom-line results to the U.S. Ski Team. Three overall sprint globes to her name, five Olympics, a bronze at the 2017 Lahti World Champs in the skate sprint, a silver at the 2009 Liberec, Czech Republic World Champs skate sprint, a gold at the 2013 Val di Fiemme, Italy World Champs in the team sprint (with Diggins), and the 2018 Olympic Gold in PyeongChang's team sprint. Stellar. 

Her story is infused with her firm belief in team and the matter of fact grit she brings to life as a cancer survivor. Let's not forget she is a proud mom. She remains legend material. 

We are stoked to have her on the show. 

You can follow Kikkan on IG @kikkanimal, her website is kikkan.com  

The 5 k loop in Toblach, Italy was a Diggins course - according to Kershaw - and she took charge. With Diggins and Brennan going 1-2, again, the Tour de Ski has a decidedly American look on the women's side. 

And with most of Russia's men's roster in the top-8, the boys in red Lycra control the standings. A bright note for men's U.S. skiing, Gus Schumacher put together a top-15 worthy effort on the day.  

The Stage 4 breakdown on the podcast.

You asked, now Devon is answering.

We’re finally here with a long-promised mailbag episode for you this week. Devon takes us through questions from more than a dozen listeners; we cover World Cup competition formats, tactics, training, broadcasting and a bunch of other random fun stuff. We’ll be back soon with coverage of Olympic team selection and hopefully some more intel on the Olympic venue in Beijing.

Send us questions and feedback to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Bang! We're off and running with a recap of the classic sprint, the first of six medal events at the World Championships in Planica, Slovenia. American sprint sensation Ben Ogden joins us.

We'll be podcasting after each race day in Slovenia. Get at us with questions at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

A big note upfront, in this episode we review a video when Devon was relegated for obstruction during a World Cup sprint. So, if you have a phone or other device handy, here's the link to the video. 

Take a look, because we'll get into this pretty deep in the episode. And .... we'll chat the racing of the day, Stage 2 of the 2021 Tour de ski - all mass start classic racing. 

The Race on the men's side shook out with a big Bolshunov win, while the women had a surprise winner of sorts with Swede Linn Svahn, known for her sprinting, won the day. Two American women in Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan remain in the hunt for the overall. 

We talk about children and car seats, obstruction on the sprint course, and where it goes from here with six stages to go. 

The Ski Tour 2020 show continued Sunday in Östersund, Sweden with the men's and women's classic pursuit races. Again, as we discuss in the podcast, it was Norway and Russia heavy on the men's side. 

For the women, Johaug did her thing, but the racing was gritty. A chase pack of three and a speedy group from fifth through sixteenth made the 10 k affair a fun watch.

Like usual we dig into the day. We also diverge a bit and celebrate Susan Dunklee and her silver medal at the 2020 IBU World Champs, and we also discuss some of the latest doping news surrounding Russia and a few of their biathletes.

Thanks for taking the time to listen and we'll be back on Tuesday after Stage 3.

You know you missed us.

Devon and Nat return with a soft launch into the 2025 winter season. We cover off-season developments and other hijinks, from the still-missing Russians to Therese Johaug's return. Read here and here if you want to understand wth the references are in the show title.

We'll be back soon. Hit us up at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com; we're psyched to be back.

It was full sun and full gas in Falun, Sweden, for one last hurrah of World Cup racing. The three-day weekend brought us new formats, American podium performances (plural!) and any number of other highlights. Thanks for listening over the course of the World Cup tour — we’ll be back periodically during the off-season with interviews and updates.

You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’ll catch up with a mailbag episode in the next few weeks.

There's too much going on in the Tour de Ski for us to cover in just one episode — so we're back to quickly hype up a breakout performance by Latvia's Patrīcija Eiduka yesterday, and to break down a COVID crisis on the Norwegian team that's erupted in the past 24 hours.

We're at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com; we'll be back Sunday.

We caught up quickly with Claire Wilson, lead organizer of the Minneapolis World Cup and head of the Loppet Foundation, to get a sense of what's going on in the lead-up to the racing.

We'll have more podcasts this weekend. We also set a time for our live show: Come hear us and join in at Utepils Brewing, 225 Thomas Ave N #700 in Minneapolis. It's at 4 p.m. Sunday, after the last race of the day. Spread the word and see you there.

In this episode of of The Devon Kershaw Show from FasterSkier, it is all classic: a deep breakdown from Devon on the nature of Obertsdorf, Germany's classic sprint course. The course has some relevance for this basic reason: the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships will be held at this venue next season. And what a preview. With three steep climbs, a wee bit of recovery, this sprint course demands big capacity. 

There's also the highlight of the day for Kershaw - three American women in the top-10. Just 24 hours prior, the U.S. women looked uncharacteristically flat. With a quick reset, the classic sprint was a home-run for the team. 

Lastly, we look into the big time gaps in the men's qualifier in which Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway destroyed the field. And of course we include some analysis of Klæbo's run away win. 

Thanks for listening.

We're off and running in Trondheim and launch into this episode with some local flavor, literally. Devon and Nat are back at the hotel to recap a glorious first day of World Championships racing.

We promise, we really still are hoping to schedule a live show around our packed schedules here. Send us your notes, feedback and hate mail to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

We're back, with some incremental improvements to our audio production and full stoke for a new season of the Devon Kershaw Show. On this first episode of the new season, Devon and Nat break down the winter's opening races in Sweden, Finland and Norway, and prime the pump for the World Cup kickoff in Finland next weekend. As always, email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Not two weeks ago, despite the pandemic, it appeared the FIS World Cup had dodged the proverbial positive-test bullet. The Ruka, Finland round of the World Cup went down with fantastic racing, and, as far as we know at the time of dropping this episode, no positive Covid-19 cases among the athletes in Ruka.

The cracks began to appear shortly after the racing in Finland concluded. Several of Norway's star skiers independently withdrew from World Cup racing through December - they were the first to go. Then three major World Cup players, Norway, Sweden, and Finland collectively opted out. As we reported on the FasterSkier website, these teams felt the safety protocols and fidelity to those Covid-19 prevention measures in Ruka were insufficient. 

We all know that race day is race day - you compete against those who wear the bibs. That said, we also know a World Cup race without Norway, Sweden, and Finland is like the Bulls without Jordan, a slalom race without Shiffrin, grooming with no classic tracks set. 

Devon breaks it down and provides his thoughts on where this all goes from here. 

Thanks for listening and here's the disclaimer, this episode contains some unbeeped potty words.  

No rest for the weary (except those who skipped Holmenkollen): We're back with recaps of, objectively, the most lit series of races on the World Cup circuit, in Norway. We've got the goods from the Holmenkollen 50 k races, including the first-ever for women, and the always satisfying Drammen sprints.

We'll be back next week. Reach us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Nat and Devon go guest-less for this opening episode of 2023, recapping the first two stages of the Tour de Ski in Val Müstair, Switzerland.

We've got full breakdowns of flashy performances by Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and a Jessie Diggins debacle in the opening sprint race. We'll be back with another episode mid-week as the tour rolls on; hit us with questions or emails at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com

In this episode --  an analysis of a wonderful day of classic sprinting in Falun, Sweden. First off, hats off to the organizing committee: the fans were out in force, Sweden showed up to race, Johaug advanced to the semis, two Norwegians pounced in the men's race....inhale -- it was simply a fun day of skiing. And, Falun's course was for real. Stout climbs forced athletes to run hills and technical banked turns kept everybody honest.

Really, it was an event, despite the region's low snow, that was a highlight. (We are biased towards these championship level courses on the sprint circuit.)

In between the racing, there's some banter about Klæbo's broken fingers, and some chatter about the new baby in Lillehammer, Norway. 

Thanks for listening.  

Long distance in Oslo, city sprints in Drammen. The World Cup takes its late-season swing through Norway and Devon and Nat have a full breakdown, with special guest Sam Hendry, a Canadian athlete who's had some standout results late this season.

We're sprinting to the finish of the 2024 podcast season. Send your long-shot requests for off-season content to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back in a few days.

Has it really been a week since the Olympics already? The World Cup’s furious schedule forges on with more racing this weekend in Lahti, Finland. Special guest host, Finnish Olympic gold medalist Sami Jauhojaervi, joins us to break down those results and other Finnish highlights from this season.

We also cover results from the World Junior Championships in the early part of the podcast, and finish with a brief discussion of how cross-country skiing is handling Russian participation on the World Cup circuit given the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’re still hoping to catch up with an Olympic mailbag episode soon once things settle down.

We're gearing up for our on-site coverage of the World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, with a recap of last weekend's racing in Sweden. Top U.S. distance skier Gus Schumacher joins us to break down his podium finish. We'll be back soon with a Trondheim preview episode, if not more than one.

Get at us at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. Thanks for listening.

There’s a war on in Ukraine, and we touch on its impacts on the World Cup. But ski racing is also continuing, so we’re forging on, with respect for and acknowledgment of the tragedy that’s unfolding in Europe. For a few hours at least, on Thursday, the classic Drammen city sprint provided one heck of a distraction, and Devon and Nat are back to break down some performances for the ages by Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla, the French men and China’s Wang Qiang.

You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’re still hoping to catch up with an Olympic mailbag episode soon once things settle down.

Whew. The weather in Trondheim hasn't let up, and neither has the racing.

Norwegian marathon skier and TV commentator Petter Soleng Skinstad joins us for the recap. We'll back back tomorrow; as always, Devon's email is nat@fasterskier.com.

We mix things up in the episode. We deviate from the norm and jump into a discussion about the science of sport with journalist and author Alex Hutchinson. Some of you may know his work from Outside Magazine where he pens the Sweat Science column. Hutchinson is also the author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, published in 2018. 

His Sweat Science pieces unravel the latest research exploring human performance and distills the findings into lively reading. 

We spoke to Hutchinson about his book, his recent Sweat Science piece "Why Altitude Training Helps Some but Not Others - A new analysis casts doubt on the idea that people are born as "responders" or "non-responders" for training in thin air," and this one time Kershaw bested Hutchinson's friends in a running race. For those new to Hutchinson and his work, he remains as adept running the roads as he is with the pen. In other words, he's speedy and keen.

And for those on Twitter and interested in the fusion of sport and science, you can find his musings @sweatscience.

Nové Město, Czech Republic served up a traditional rock'em sock'em pursuit series on the World Cup. Saturday featured a 10 k/15 k interval start skate, followed by a 10 k/15 K classic pursuit. Bolshunov and Johaug were the clear fitness outliers but some great races within the race unfolded. And yes, how about those big baggy bibs? Part art-class smock part moo-moo, it was not a good race look. But we digress. To break it all down, former Canadian National Ski Team member Jess Cockney joins Devon for the show. 

Remember on the last episode where we talked about how exciting we thought the women's skiathlon would be? It delivered every ounce, and maybe a little bit more. We've got a full recap here.

Reach us by email at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back after Tuesday's the individual start races.

We've got our latest episode straight out of China to break down Iivo Niskanen's dominating win in the Olympic 15 k individual start. We talk about some of the drama on the Norwegian team, cover the American and Canadian results and bring on special guest Vahur Teppan, a retired Estonian athlete who coached members of China's national team for the past four years.

There was a time when the Canadian National Cross-Country Ski Team was the North American team to watch. As skiers like Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins found their footing, Becky Scott, Chandra Crawford, and Sara Renner were medaling at the Olympics. Alex Harvey and Kershaw won team sprint gold at the 2011 World Championships. And Harvey continued to romp - winning the 2017 World Championship gold in the 50k. Along the way, like many programs, Canada has enjoyed roster and coaching continuity. Conversely, the program has also suffered high rates of coaching turnover and insufficient funding.

As Canada looks for a new National Team Coach, in this episode Kershaw explores his relationship with the national team. He explains that some years it was plug and play. Other years, it was about finding normalcy with a new coach, a new set of norms, and a positive direction to remain motivated.

Thanks for listening.

We're sorry. Life intervened, and this podcast is nearly two weeks late. But it's here, and we had a fun session breaking down a weekend of World Cup racing in Italy where Devon was present in the flesh.

We'll be back after Falun and on scene, both of us, in Trondheim. Reach us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Like so many organizations, FIS, the governing body for international skiing, is a slow-to-change entity. Doping reforms, for example, have evolved but at a yawn-worthy rate. So in rather atypical fashion, like a finger snap, FIS voted to oust its Secretary General, Sarah Lewis, on October 9th. Lewis had been considered a lifer at FIS. She'd been on staff for two decades. News on the "why" of her removal remains sparse. Yet it was an unexpected departure. 

Not so unexpected, the postponement of the FIS fluoro ban which was announced in November 2019. Originally, FIS and the associated stakeholders were to outlaw fluorinated wax products, across all disciplines, beginning this season. A noble task considering the documented adverse health and environmental impacts related to long-chain fluorocarbons, yet one notably tough to execute. Put simply, the testing mechanism for detecting flours on ski bases was flawed. As we reported earlier, FIS stated: “Despite the accuracy of the device measurement technology, testing also indicated that there were potential sources of measurement error related to other aspects of the testing system that require further testing and design adjustments to ensure absolutely fair and consistent results for all competitors.”

So...fluoros are fair game this season on the World Cup. 

That and a bit more on the show. Thanks for listening and if you have questions for Devon, you can email them to Devon@fasterskier.com or Jason@fasterskier.com. 

In this episode, Devon answers questions ranging from how World Cup athletes maintain in season fitness to why in fact relays don't end with a classic leg. Fell free to send in questions regarding the World Cup to info@fasterskier.com or devon@fasterskier.com. 

This week's post-racing recap will be posted on Monday following the weekend's racing in Nové Město.  

Straight up this is mostly about Junior Worlds -- specifically the junior women's 4 x 3.3 k relay and the 4x 5 k relay for the  junior men. A good day all around: U.S. men in first, Canada second. And in the women's race, U.S. junior women in second overall.

We do discuss the World Cup sprints from this past Wednesday...but not a big discussion.

In this episode, Kershaw also mentions a video interview published by Norwegian broadcaster NRK, in which Jessie Diggins discusses her new book and her challenges with an eating disorder. You can find that video link here. 

 

Two words: Jessie Diggins. The American superstar smashed her competition Tuesday, winning America's first-ever World Championships gold medal in an individual race. 

Kristin Størmer Steira and some guy that's married to her, Devon Kershaw, join Nat for a recap. Get at us at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com.

Devon jumps into the World Junior/U23 fray. This is part one of our coverage of Worlds for the younger folks. This episode covers the classic sprints and the individual skate races that concluded today in Vuokatti, Finland. 

The racing began on February 9 with the junior classic sprint. The U23 classic sprints were postponed on Wednesday due to the severe cold in Finland. Those sprints were held Thursday. Friday was a jam-packed race day with race officials and volunteers running four different individual skate events. 

We will be recording a second podcast on Sunday to conclude World Juniors/U23s. 

Thanks for listening. You can find detailed results from World Juniors here. 

American star Gus Schumacher joins us from Switzerland to break down the first three stages of the 2024 Tour de Ski. And Devon gives us the goods on Norway's social event of the year: Therese Johaug's wedding.

Send us your questions and feedback: devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back in a couple days.

A bit of moving day on the women's side today as Stage 6 of the Tour de Ski concluded. The biggest mover, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen eeks within three seconds of Therese Johaug for the overall. So much drama set to unfold tomorrow. And then there's Lampic and Diggins on the podium.

For the men, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo ran away with the win. But the Alpe Cermis on Stage 7 could crush the young man -- or maybe just the pace set by Sergey Ustiugov and Alexander Bolshunov will be enough. For sure it will be a showdown.
The Stage 6 rundown is ready for your listening pleasure.

And thanks for sticking with us this entire Tour.

Sorry, we're late. We know. But we haven't forgotten about you. Devon and Nat are back to wrap up the 2025 season and recap Oslo, Tallinn and Lahti.

We do really think we'll be back for a couple of postseason episodes. Sorry we haven't answered many of your questions but we've got a list and plan to tackle 'em soon. Thanks so much for following along this season — more soon. Reach us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com in the mean time.

Eli Brown, a member of the U.S. Ski Team's waxing and ski service staff, joins us this week to talk about his job and the new enforcement of the rules banning fluorocarbons on the World Cup circuit. We recap another strong weekend for American athletes, along with all the hijinks that happened in Trondheim, Norway at the test event for next season's World Championships.

The World Cup takes a break next weekend before the Tour de Ski, but we may try to squeeze in a mailbag episode. Send us questions if you've got 'em. Reach us at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com.

If you're reading this, you already know: Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern teamed up to deliver a bronze medal for the U.S. at the World Championships in Slovenia. We've got a full breakdown and oh yeah, there was a men's race, too.

The championships is rolling along; email your notes and questions to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

It's been a couple weeks since you last heard from us. The World Cup and the Devon Kershaw Show are back from a hiatus with a recap of the high altitude sprint weekend in Livigno.

Devon and Nat break down the individual and team sprints from the Italian Alps, including some strong American performances. We're still planning a mailbag episode in the not-too-distant future, so keep those questions coming: devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back soon.

A second weekend of racing in Norway left us with some breakout performances alongside the big names. Kikkan Randall, the Olympic gold medalist from Alaska, joins us for the recap.

We're at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com if you've got questions or feedback. See you next week.

Devon has a cold, but don't let that deter you — he perseveres, and we welcome special guess Zanden McMullen after his breakout weekend in Ruka. We've got recaps of the astonishingly entertaining racing in Finland, plus bonus discussion of sponsorship feuds and other news.

Send us your questions, comments, fan mail and hate mail: nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. We'll be back after Lillehammer.

Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated. Apologies for the tardiness of this episode, but we're back with a wrap from Falun, the last World Cup weekend of the season. It's just Devon and Nat kicking it old school again here, but we'll return soon with some guests. Seriously.

Send us your 2025 predictions, Russian troll comments and Gjøran Tefre memes: devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. Thanks for hanging out with us for the whole World Cup season.

Canceled. The North American leg of the World Cup became a blip as the weight of a pandemic became too much to bear for organizers. Minneapolis canceled. Canmore canceled. And....finally...Québec canceled. We discuss what was a crazy week when, accordingly, the globe shut down pro and amateur sport.

We spoke with Kershaw when he was six days into a 14-day quarantine. Kershaw had been in Germany for World Juniors and upon his return to Norway, was part of a general quarantine for individuals who had traveled abroad since Feb. 27. 

Kershaw spoke to us from a snowed-in cabin in Sjusjøen, Norway. But it's not exactly paradise. True fact, Kershaw was running low on food: Johaug to the rescue. And as for velvet corduroy skiing (while keeping social-distance) in the Lillehammer area, grooming has been suspended. 

Be safe and healthy out there. 

  

Longtime Canadian racer Jesse Cockney joins us to recap a surprisingly exciting men's pursuit race at the World Championships in Planica, Slovenia.

We'll be back tomorrow. Send your questions to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

In this episode, Devon gets into the nitty gritty of a lovely day of interval start racing. That's for real: 15 k for the men, 10 k for the women ... all skate. Stage 3 starts a run of three distance races in a row. Overall positions are still in play, but the top-tier are beginning to separate. Lots of Russians today in the top-10 for the men, and a nail biter on the women's side. Yes, interval start racing can be all that. 

In the big global picture, much has transpired since Jessie Diggins won the Tour de Ski. On the macro side of things, that being on the World Cup, a break has transpired. On Saturday, the cross-country World Cup returns with a skiathlon. The more notable news is the Norwegian national team will spice up the skiing as they return from a self-imposed hiatus from the World Cup since early December. 

We also answer some listener questions and discuss how we deal emotionally with less than desirable outcomes. So yeah, there's an unofficial therapy session of sorts. 

Thanks for listening and feel free to send questions to devon@fasterskier.com and jason@fasterskier.com. 

Davos is many things and brings to mind fine high-mountain living, deep mountain valleys, and an old-school vibe stop on the World Cup. The weekend began with a zippy skate sprint that at least for the moment brought a familiar feel to sprinting when Italy's Federico Pellegrino took the win. However, on the women's side, a persistent and tenacious athlete, Rosie Brennan, took her first career World Cup win. She can sprint. But had we placed a wager on a first win coming in sprint or distance, we would have gone for distance eight out of time times. 

Yet on Saturday, there was Brennan, streaming ahead on the final straight with enough composure and a time gap to celebrate across the finish line. Pure joy. And fun to watch. The following day, in cross-country skiing's race of truth, Brennan smashed ahead on the decidedly old-school Davos 5 k loop and won the race with half a minute to spare. A clean-sweep-weekend for Brennan earns her the overall lead in the World Cup after five races and the honor of wearing the yellow bib. 

Sure we talk most things that transpired in Davos: some misses for the U.S. men, a solid performance by Scott Patterson in the 15 k skate, a slew of Americans stoutly qualifying in the sprint, (think JC Schoonmaker and Kevin Bolger), and Hailey Swirbul's most excellent third place in the women's 10 k. 

The race series moves on to Dresden, Germany next week, where the city is under strict lockdown orders due to Covid-19. It's onward for the World Cup, we hope it's upward. 

The most special of special guest on the podcast today, Kristin Størmer Steira. Størmer Steira, a retired Norwegian ski star, chats it up with Devon from Lillehammer, where the two are busy raising two young daughters.

According to a 2014 FasterSkier article on the couple, evidently, Kershaw's "great smile", a legacy of his youth in Sudbury, won Størmer Steira over. 

In her own right, Størmer Steira was a Norwegian ski star. Back in 2005, Størmer Steira had a breakout in Oberstdorf at the World Champs where she placed third in the 2 x 7.5 k pursuit and won gold as a member of the 4 x 5 k Norwegian relay team. Along with accolades such as more World Champs and Olympic hardware, she's known as a salt of the earth human being. As listeners of the podcast know, the medals are stashed in a humble wooden box somewhere above the garage. 

Along with Devon, Størmer Steira provides insight into the vagaries of racing in Oberstdorf and the highlights from today when Alexander Bolshunov won his first individual championship medal as he pulled away in the closing moments of the 30 k skiathlon, and Norway's Therese Johaug steamrolled on the women's side. 

Thanks for listening to our championship coverage. 

Post Ski Tour 2020 it was back to the basics for the World Cup: Interval start classic races for the men and women. The local boy, Iivo Niskanen, still claims the 15 k classic as his race, especially when it goes down in Finland. For the women, Norway's Therese Johaug pipped out the win over Ebba Andersson of Sweden. 

This was good solid racing in the 10 k and 15 k, respectively. Devon, by the way, is in Oberwiesenthal, Germany for the 2020 Junior/U23 Worlds. He's there helping out the younger generation of Canadian athletes. So, needless to say, we take a dive into Junior World's coverage as well -- today's race was a skate sprint for the juniors.

One can expect some tactics during a 4 x 10 k relay in heavy snowfall for world championship glory. To summarize nearly two hours of racing in three sentences there was this: Russia off the front, then in the middle. Norway in the middle, then off the front. Then Klæbo becoming the king of coy as he tempts Bolshunov and pounces for the win. 

This 4 x 10 k relay provided a wealth of storyline threads to consider. There are good skis and bad skis. Good legs and some not-so-good legs. Teams with no matches to burn, others with one match to rule them all. Over 1:52:39 minutes, viewers were witness to much that is great about the sport. We were treated to pure drag racing and chess match tactics that concluded with Norway winning gold. 

Here is to breaking down the 2021 World Championship relay on the podcast. 

We are corrected in this episode: we try to be better Francophiles by improving our pronunciation of the weekend's stand out performer on the men's side, Lucas Chanavat. We also dig down and find the fun in Sunday's team sprint in Dresden. With a whirlwind 0.7 k loop, and each skier racing six legs, it was basic sprinting fun. Thanks for listening. 

We've made 10 podcasts in 11 days and I have no juice left to come up with snappy episode titles or show notes. So this is what you get. Click play and listen to us talk. It was a cool 50 k.

Get at us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back after the first-ever women's 50 k, with both Devon and Nat on scene in Oslo.

We've reached the summit of the Alpe Cermis. The Tour de Ski has concluded.

Nat needed a break after covering U.S. Nationals, so Jess Cockney jumps on to guest co-host with Devon. Send us your feedback at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back soon.

A couple of years ago, Swedish Olympic medalist cross-country skier Maja Dahlqvist matched with U.S. sprinter Kevin Bolger on Tinder. They've since become one of their sport's highest-profile couples.

The two of them, during an altitude camp in Utah last month, joined Nat for a joint interview.

We'll be back as the World Cup season kicks off in a few weeks. Send your questions, comments and hate mail to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

What. A. Day.

American cross-country skier Jessie Diggins scores another Olympic medal in Beijing, this time a silver, gutting out a strong race even though she was suffering from food poisoning. We break down the full 30 k freestyle race with Therese Johaug's win and a furious chase for bronze. And we're thrilled to welcome guest hosts Holly Brooks and Sadie Maubet (Bjornsen), the retired U.S. Olympians who joined us from Alaska.

We'll be back when the World Cup resumes in Lahti next weekend. (Seriously?! So soon.) Get us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com in the mean time. 

We know we haven't gotten to all your questions over the course of the Olympics, but we hope to catch up with a mailbag episode soon once things settle down.

Kicking off the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games with a look into the women's skiathlon. Co-host Nat Herz was on site during the race, braving the wind and cold to collect deeper insights into the scene, while Kershaw gives his hot take as a very-well-informed armchair quarterback. Note that Kershaw picked two of the top-three athletes correctly in his pre-Olympic podium picks: unsurprisingly, the favorite, Therese Johaug took gold, while Natalia Nepryaeva (ROC) earned silver instead of the bronze Kersh predicted. 

Stay tuned for regular updates and race breakdowns over the course of the Games! Thanks for listening.

We have no excuses for our prolonged absence other than it being the summer time. Devon has school and kids to take care of; Nat has…well, Nat really has no excuse. We taped this show with Robin McKeever, the new Canadian coach, and we’re just getting around to posting it now.

You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

The question is not where to start. That is with Jessie Diggins and her shining moment over eight stages at the Tour de Ski. Diggins secured the overall win in the Tour de Ski on Sunday, the first non-European skier, male or female to win the Tour. Ivan Babikov, former Candian National Ski Team member and master of the Alpe himself, joins Devon to discuss Diggins, the Russians, the Alpe, and the vagaries of the Tour de Ski.

Thanks for listening along for our eight-episode series breaking down each stage. 
 

It's the most wonderful time of the year — or is it? The Tour de Ski has returned, but Devon has some beef with this year's watered down format. Plus, recaps of the four races we've been through so far, including Jessie Diggins sprint win from heat five.

Send feedback, hate mail and love letters to devon@fasterskier.com. You can send love letters to nat@fasterskier.com. See you in a couple of days.

This episode of the Devon Kershaw Show breaks down the lead-up to the Olympics with special guest star Alex Harvey, the Canadian World Championships gold medalist. Harv and Kersh make their podium predictions for the six Olympic events; we discuss the nightmare scenario with COVID cases inside Norway's national team; and Nat checks in from his quarantine in Los Angeles in advance of his flight to Asia.

We'll be back periodically during the Olympics — send questions and comments to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. And you can follow Nat's journey to Beijing here on FasterSkier, or on Twitter and Instagram at @nat_herz.

The Tour de Ski's Stage 5 cliff notes: A feisty race from both Diggins and Brennan. Diggins places third, Brennan fourth. In the men's race, Schumacher paces to 15th, and a wall of red as Bolshunov is simply peerless. Gus Schumacher arrives with a career-best 14th. 

Holy smokes, that was an epic weekend of racing. Devon and Nat are joined by Tony Cyr, the breakout Canadian star, and a mystery guest drops in later on in the episode.

We break down the sprint and two distance races held at the festive French venue in Les Rousses. And we promise, we'll get you a mailbag episode before World Championships starts in a few weeks. Get at us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Devon Kershaw breaks down the three-race Ruka, Finland mini-Tour. It was the opening weekend of the 2019-2020 World Cup with some surprises -- three American women in the overall top-10 and a Finnish classic ski specialist who nailed the final skate race. From the opening day's classic sprint, to the interval start classic race, and the final skate pursuit, Kershaw opines on the winners and those who perhaps haven't found their early season form. 

Devon and Nat are back to recap a riveting couple of days of racing on the Tour de Ski and to discuss the surprising exits by Norway's Harald Ostberg Amundsen and America's Gus Schumacher. Wash your hands!

Send your notes to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back from the top of the Alpe Cermis.

We're in deep to the Tour de Ski now, after a couple of legitimately rad days of racing in Davos, Switzerland. Mikael Gunnulfsen of Norway joins us to talk about the stunning performance of Henrik Doennestad, and of course we catch you up on the latest successes of Americans Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan and, oh yeah, Gus Schumacher.

Get at us at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. We'll be back once the athletes hit the top of the Alpe Cermis.

We’ve got a special edition of the Devon Kershaw Show for you this week with star American cross-country skier Rosie Brennan. After more than a decade of international racing, Brennan had a breakout season last year with World Cup wins in Davos. She’s had more strong results this year, including a podium in Lillehammer and two near-misses in her return to Davos.

Brennan hails from Utah; she’s a graduate of Dartmouth College and currently trains with the Alaska Pacific University elite team. We’re grateful she was willing to join us.

Have a question you want answered? Send them Devon at devon@fasterskier.com and to Nat at nat@fasterskier.com.

We’ll be back once the Tour de Ski kicks off.

We’ve got extra-special Alaska-based guest Kikkan Randall joining us for this episode to recap the 2021/22 Tour de Ski. We break down a rough finish for a head cold-afflicted Jessie Diggins, some sensational skiing by Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, and some lingering questions about Olympic preparation.

We’re planning a mailbag episode in the next few days; send your questions to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back soon!

Lots to breakdown after this weekend. Yup, Johaug crushed, but so did Diggins, Maubet Bjornsen, and Brennan. And cheers for the American women's second place in the relay. For the men, Hans Christer Holund was a master who was foiled only by the sprint closer Bolshunov in the 30 k skiathlon.

Have a listen as we discuss Lillehammer's infamous climb, waxing, ski selection, and yes, coffee in the Norwegian wax truck.

If you have any questions, send them to devon@fasterskier.com or info@fasterskier.com.

It was all Norway in both the men's and women's Stage 1 of the Ski Tour 2020 from Östersund, Sweden. Sjur Røthe on the men's side was pacing perfection while Therese Johaug simply steamrolled. This was clear, Norway had the best skis, and perhaps by default, the fastest skiers almost across the top-10 board. Yet, it is a long week ahead, and we are one stage into a six stage event. 

Here's the debrief from Devon: post 15 k/ 10 k interval start skate.  

It's been a minute. We, and the World Cup circuit, took a break from racing, and podcasting, last weekend, but things are about to heat up again in Lahti, Finland, and we thought now was the perfect time to bring you an interview Nat did in Canmore with up and coming Swedish talent William Poromaa.

Nat and Devon will be back with a recap after the races in Lahti this weekend. Send us your questions, comments and feedback at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. Catch you soon.

Post-Tour de Ski, it is time to visit historic Dresden, Germany for a weekend of city sprints. With trucked in artificial snow, slick, fast, and icy conditions made for some spills on the Dresden oval. Stay on your feet, and stay out front: basic tactics that some mastered Saturday. 

Chanavat took the men's win and Svahn the women's victory. 

Dresden is calling.

We know, we know...we're way overdue for the promised summer content. Is it even summer any more?

Anyway: We're excited to bring you this episode with Jostein Vinjerui, one of the coaches with Team Aker Daehlie, the international squad that boasts athletes from Great Britain, Latvia and, for the first time this upcoming season, the U.S., in Sophia Laukli.

We actually will be back soon, with at least one episode on our schedule for recording in the next week. Send us your questions, comments and hate mail to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Øystein Pettersen, the Norwegian Olympic champion also known as "Pølse," or "Sausage," joins the show to break down an epic weekend of racing in Switzerland — and to help Devon and Nat come up with ways to save the World Cup men's distance racing from permanent Norwegian domination.

As always, we're at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com if you've got questions or feedback.

Prince of Quebec Alex Harvey and his protege on the Canadian team, Tony Cyr, check in with us after a three-day weekend of racing in Germany. We went kinda long. Also: We have a first-of-its-kind waxing and service report from U.S. Ski Team technician Eli Brown. 

Let us know what you think: We're at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back after another weekend of racing in Switzerland before the World Cup circuit heads to North America.

Norwegians are born with skis on their feet, blah blah blah, we know. They're good at skiing and they won pretty much all the races on home snow this weekend...but they were still fun events to watch. Devon reports from Norway while Nat tunes in from melting Alaska; they don't need any stinkin' guests this week.

Got questions for us? New meme accounts we should follow? nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. We'll be back soon.

We're back, in less than 24 hours since hour last pod. Devon is burning the midnight oil in Norway to bring you this new episode recapping the excellent sprint races in Canmore today. Stay tuned for another episode after tomorrow's race and a bonus episode where Nat will interview Sweden's William Poromaa.

Email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com with questions, comments and race predictions. We'll be back.

Andrew Musgrave is a mainstay of the World Cup cross-country skiing circuit and a two-time podium finisher, racing for a surprisingly strong British team. Devon and Nat chatted with him this week about a major budget cut for the British team that's forced team members to fundraise; Muzzy also talks about his training, his life in Norway, his diet and his plans to start feuds on the World Cup.

We are catching our breath here with Alex Harvey with the 50 k classic rundown on the podcast. On another planet where the perceived forces of good and evil do not wear Lycra, this race is simply catalogued as another classic, not a mega-classic.

Such is life and such is racing. This 50 k classic monster came down to the wire as Russia's Alexander Bolshunov and Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo flowed into the final straight.

Here's the replay from today's race report:

No matter how you look at it, pro-Russia, pro-Norway, pro-fun racing, Bolshunov went wide to close the door on Klæbo and the Norwegian sprinter nearly lost his balance dodging V-boards, ski tips, and Bolshunov’s physical presence. During the brush-up, with no crowd noise, you can hear Bolshunov’s pole crack with the bottom half falling to the ground after he stuck it between his legs.As Klæbo and Bolshunov re-centered, both now with barely enough room to push the pedals down, the drag race ensured with, as one might guess, Klæbo winning and Bolshunov, with one effective pole, losing ground.

The rest, as they say, is recent history. Klæbo is DQ'd, Iversen wins and on and on. And if you still need video evidence to prove or disprove your respective point of view, head to our Facebook page where several people have posted replay videos.

Thanks for listening to the podcast and we appreciate you taking the time out of your day to check in with our World Championship coverage.

We wanted to let you hear straight from the medalist's mouth. So we're posting these short interviews Nat did yesterday with World Championships gold medalist Jessie Diggins and her coach Jason Cork.

We'll be back later today with coverage from the 15-kilometer men's race. Stay tuned, and email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

We're off. The 2023-2024 winter kicks off with season opening races across Scandinavia, and the World Cup launches next week.

Devon and Nat go old-school, no guests to recap a bevy of interesting results so far. Send us your comments, questions and criticism: devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back next week.

The second weekend with Norway back on the scene was a reveal. Therese Johaug, arguably the second greatest cross-country skier of all time, was bested by an in form and dialed in Jessie Diggins. Interval starts, for what its worth, most often do not command a television or streaming audience. This show is a must watch. It may just be Diggins' best career race. 

So we chat a ton about Diggins. But we also dive in head first and discuss some other stout race performances - Schumacher's 9th place, Bolshunov's double-win weekend, Linn Svahn's supremacy on the sprint course, and the dicey nature of Saturday's mass start racing. 

As we inch closer to the World Championships at the end of February, it's time to start thinking about who might bring home some hardware. The Falun three race series gave us a glimpse into who's star might shine in Obertsdorf. 

In this episode of The Devon Kershaw Show it is all things Davos. While the glam Swiss valley boasts mountain scenery, and a fusion of traditional Swiss cowbell and high finance, in many ways it remains decidely old school. Among other things, we discuss what some say is an outdated Davos distance course and the killing it Swedish women's team-- in particular, women's sprint winner, twenty-year-old Linn Svahn. 

We'll be releasing a mid-week episode where we chat about last week's WADA decision to ban Russia from major international competitions for four years.

Thanks and you can find The Devon Kershaw Show on iTines and Google Play. The link to subscribe is on the embedded audio player below.

American skier Gus Schumacher won a World Cup distance race in Minneapolis today — the first time a U.S. man has done this in decades. We'll have more from Schumacher later, but here are a few quick words from him at the finish line. Stay tuned.

In today's 10 k story on FasterSkier, here's how it began: "The high pressure continued at the 2021 World Championships on Tuesday in more ways than one. Oberstdorf, Germany’s temps hovered around 50 degrees Fahrenheit for the start of the women’s 10-kilometer individual freestyle, and a rarefied number of skiers poised to step on the podium. The pressure cooker that is the individual start, with skiers setting off at 30-second intervals was on display from the first earnest pole plants out of the start."

The pressure that may  have been building for this event was released as Norway's Johaug won the race by 54 seconds over Sweden's Frida Karlsson. All things considered, even going way back to the 2000 Olympics, a relatively massive time gap to second place. And for her part, Jessie Diggins of the U.S. did not disappoint. She came within a few seconds of bronze. 

Cutting to the chase, we cover it all in the episode including a look at the American prospects in the upcoming 4 x 5 k relay. 

Thanks for listening. 

What a weekend. If you weren't able to make it to Minneapolis, we had the good fortune of taping this episode of the podcast in front of a live audience at a local brewery, and we think it brings through a little of the amazing atmosphere. British skier Andrew Musgrave joined us in-person, Ben Ogden zoomed in from mono jail and a very special guest whose name ends with us Schumacher joined us mid-pod.

The audio quality from this episode is.....mixed, but it seems to be workable. Thanks for sticking with us all season — we'll be back with some bonus episodes in the next week before the World Cup resumes. Email us at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com.

We're back to recap a long weekend in glorious Switzerland, with some familiar names topping the podium but still doing it in exciting fashion. Plus, hear from Canada's Sonjaa Schmidt about her star-is-born moment in the sprint and her, shall we say, unconventional summer training.

Fan mail to devon@fasterskier.com; hate mail to nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back soon.

With wildfire smoke obscuring mountain views and compromising easy breathing in much of the West, it’s safe to say it is summer. In this episode of the Devon Kershaw Show, we mostly chat with Zach Caldwell of Vermont’s Caldwell Sport. 

Last season, during one of our conversations with Zach, we discussed some ideas we’d like to see in terms of an enhanced broadcast from FIS for their cross-country World Cup coverage. Zach came up with some interesting concepts — you’ll have to listen to the episode to learn more.

But to start things off, we catch up on summertime adventures and the news that Devon has begun medical school in Norway. It will be a few years, but we’re paging Doctor Kershaw. 

Thanks for listening. 

Moving on from picturesque Lenzerheide, Switzerland. With two days of racing, the leaderboards are shaking out for the men and women. In this Tour de Ski episode, we break down the day's skate sprint, pay homage to Jessie Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen, and bow to the sprint king Klæbo. 

Next season the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships will be hosted by Oberstdorf, Germany. On Saturday, the women raced a 15 k skiathlon, the men 30 k on what is now a gut-punch of a course. It is championship-worthy.

In today's episode, we cover all the striding, all the gliding, and the ski-exchanges in between. Bolshunov remains on form after the TdS, while two notable Norwegians, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Emil Iversen appear to be in a distance funk: both posted a DNF today as they pulled from the race. More pleasant news, father time has smiled on Martin Johnsrud Sundby who missed the podium by a fraction and Dario Cologna who raced to a top-ten.

For the women, well, it was Johaug. But not by much. The top end of the field kept her within sight. It was good chase-them-down skiing on the women's side. And yeah, we discuss the down day for the Americans who have us conditioned for podium expectations.

Thanks for listening.

March 31st is the last day we posted a new episode. Depending on where you stand in the COVID time machine, that might as well be a light year. Or a nano-second.

From Oslo, Norway Devon chats about the time that was and the time that will be as we lurch into fall and then winter. In other words, it's about time we rebooted this project.

On the list of topics discussed, staying put when the air quality is grim, a brief discussion of doping, altitude training, and the prospects for a World Cup season.

Thanks for catching up with the podcast and as always, if you have questions for Devon, you can send them to devon@fasterskier.com or jason@fasterskier.com.

Multiple U.S. podiums. Near-misses. Coaches barging into the classic track. This past weekend was pretty fun. We get up-and-coming Alaska star Luke Jager to join us for a recap and go through it all.

Reach us with your questions, comments and feedback at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back next week after Trondheim.

Sometimes when the unexpected happens, it's a good thing. That's what went down today in Falun, Sweden. In the men's 15 k mass start skate, it was not a scrum of 20 to 30 skiers in a cluster at the finish. A fast and furious pace set by Hans Christer Holund turned that concept on its head. Although the race was won by Alexander Bolshunov, the wily Norwegian that is Holund, took it out hot and broke the field apart. For the women, well..., it was Johaug as predicted, but it was a tight race dictated by a select three of Johaug, Ebba Andersson, and Heidi Weng.

We are not eaxctly all over the map in this episode, but we cover some ground: from the lack of national diversity in the men's top 10, to how soon is too soon for athlete's not meeting a national team's health standards to be back on the World Cup. Today was the Swedish phenom Frida Karlsson's first World Cups of the season since the opening weekend in Ruka, Finland. She had been held from elite competiton by the national team, for health reasons. She showed early signs of her former speed and endurance in her first race back. (Karlsson took the ski scene by storm last year, when she won three medals as a nineteen year old at the 2019 World Championships.)

As always, thanks for listening. If you have questions for Devon, please send them to devon@fasterskier.com or info@fasterskier.com.

The World Cup's penultimate weekend of the year took us to Falun, Sweden for a trio of races, including two more fun 10 ks and a mixed relay. Canada's Katherine Stewart-Jones joins us to recap her sensational season and what's ahead for her next year.

We'll be back after Tuesday's city sprint in Tallinn, Estonia. Get at us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com

The Iowa caucuses were this week, and on this episode of the hit New York Times podcast The Daily, we have a recap of the results with our distinguished political correspondent, Reid Epstein.

Wait, sorry, we got confused. This is still a cross-country skiing podcast. But this is, in fact, the crossover skiing-politics content you've been waiting for. Epstein, a new friend of the pod who really is a political correspondent for the New York Times, interviewed Jessie Diggins a few days ago to get her perspective on finishing second place when it's really gosh darn cold — which, apparently, is an appropriate analogy for the big story from this year's Republican Iowa caucuses. So, since we couldn't get Diggins on the podcast this week, we thought it would be fun to hear from Epstein, instead.

If you hate this, or hate us now, we're sorry, but we actually think this was pretty fun. We're posting a mailbag episode at the same time for those of you who want vanilla ski racing content. Send us your hate mail, race predictions (World Cup or GOP primary) and feedback at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

OMG that was awesome. 

Devon and Nat are back to break down an epic finish to the women's Olympic relay, with some details on the Russian victory, the surprise German silver and Jonna Sundling helping to deliver a bronze for Sweden. Plus some notes on the Americans in sixth. 

Send questions and feedback to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We'll be back tomorrow.

Sorry we missed yesterday, but Nat had to stop by the Klæbo victory party and Devon was busy. Not to fear: We've got recaps of both the men's and women's 50-kilometer races in Trondheim.

We made it to the end; we're going to take a few days off from podcasting, but feel free to send us love notes only to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. See you soon.